Baby Teeth — Matthew’s Book Club

By Rashauna Herm

Recommended reading age: 14 & up

“what do you do with love like this

what do I do with love like this

how do I hold it

how do I keep it

how do I stop it”

When Claudia hands Immy a yellow rose in her flower shop, it begins — Immy is immediately taken by Claudia and falls head over heels for her, unlike any other love Immy has felt before in her multiple lifetimes… Or is it? Her feelings come over so intensely, mixed with the forbidden thirst for fresh blood, and it leaves Immy wondering if there’s a chance her feelings are simply desire, masquerading as love?

For Claudia, this is the first time she has been in love and it is definitely the first time she has fallen for a vampire. Immy has a thirst for blood that threatens to take hold of Immy and rip apart her budding relationship with Claudia if she cannot rein in the voices, and the glimpses of her past lives.

Baby Teeth by Irish author Meg Grehan, is a tender and dark vampire story told in verse, that highlights sapphic love. Grehan’s novel is a unique take on your run of the mill, classic vampire lore: instead of a vampire living a singular immortal life in one body, in the world of Baby Teeth, they live multiple lives in the bodies of different people. The vampire keeps their memories, as well as the former human’s, and the memories end up tangling together like a game of Twister. Tiny morsels of Immy’s backstory are fleshed out in the story, but I am thirsty for more lore!

Immy’s narration of the story is highly repetitive, which may not be for everyone, but I loved it! It worked for me because a lot of my own inner monologue, where things get repeated, turned over and repeated again, so the constant repetition was soothing to me.

I found myself somewhat envious of Claudia as a character. She is so free and buoyant — like a breath of fresh air. She allows herself to sit with her emotions and actually celebrate them deeply in such an admirable way. Her character was a gentle reminder to be kinder to myself, and live life out loud.

I often prefer books in verse, especially ones that deal with intense emotions. As a writer myself, I appreciate how the author has to keep themselves to a rhythm, as well as describing complex emotions with fewer words. There is such an art to crafting a sentence, and stories written in verse explore that art! Baby Teeth is very raw and emotionally dense, yet there is a small shade of hope mixed in with the darkness. I was blown away by how much sorrow, desire, shame, love, and anxiety I experienced while reading the small page count.

I feel like this story was made for verse, and author Meg Grehan (who has two other books in verse) has definitely found her stride! I highly recommend Baby Teeth for the reader who is looking for a more emotional, self reflective book, or something with themes such as: loss of control, self identity, gender fluidity, or found family in their next read. The book is not sexually explicit, yet touches on the concept of lust in an approachable manner that is suitable for the younger Young Adult audience to enjoy. This is definitely a book you’ll want to sink your teeth into!

About the Author

Rashauna Herm is a 30 something Denver local. She enjoys a good potato-based dish, scary movies and glitter.